twinsouvenirs
Mother of Dragons :)
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2013
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Our Last 1 Bedroom Villa and the Twinfants First Trip to the Castle!
Mom, Dad, and the twinfants visit the Grand Floridian Villas for the first time, but Baby C is brewing, so next family trip will involve a bit more beds! (Ironically, next trip is just with mom & dad in May, and it will be a studio with a savannah view& but thats neither here nor there.)
At this point, I wont be putting in pictures because Dad is not excited about having his or his childrens faces online for privacy reasons. No, he is not a celebrity. I promise to put some pictures up that are internet safe. Maybe I'll replace our faces with Mickey & Minnie heads...
The Scene: Snowy northern Ohio, where Lake Erie beaches sparkle and then freeze. I work for the court system and our entire county is closed tomorrow for dangerous temperatures. We need some Florida, ASAP.
The Adventurers:
Mom: Early 30s, WDWaphile, has probably been to the World 8 times now (Dolphin 92?, Offsite 95?, Yacht Club 00, Poly 01, Offsite 03, Offsite 09, Dolphin 12, Saratoga/Boardwalk split stay 13. Moved from private sector to public sector work as a mediator and loves it, but its still nice to get away.
Dad: Just hit the 40, learning to love WDW. Twice now--Dolphin 12, Saratoga/Boardwalk split stay 13. Totally caved on DVC because of his expansive love for his wife and children. Also recognized that as a busy executive he needed a pre-committed reason to get out of dodge every once in a while, and that there are few better escapes than WDW.
The twinfants: identical girls, also known as Babies A & B, 1.5 yrs old and our motivation to join DVC to ensure we've banked their vacations, and have no excuse not to take them away to somewhere fabulous at least once a year (and ideally twice). We took them to WDW for their first birthday but only spent one day in EPCOT since Mom & Dad like EPCOT the best. They spent a lot of time napping, and liked the Nemo exhibit. They liked Chip & Dale the most.
Baby C is the fetus inside mom. Gender will not be known until either right before or right after our trip, due in July. May complicate some of our previous plans, including moms previously intended consumption of the coconut rum in our Owners Locker. How long does that stuff last, anyway?
THE DATES -- Sunday, Feb 9 through Sat Feb 15 were the original dates we'd planned to make the trip 49 points cheaper, but a beautiful solo one night opened on February 8th at the Villas at the Grand Floridian right when I was mourning the shortness of a six day trip and thinking about how loooooong that Saturday prior to the trip sitting at home in Ohio was going to feel. So we popped one more day on, and since we hadnt booked airfare, it was no problem. So our dates: Feb 8-Feb 15
THE PLANS: We are trying not to exhaust our park visits because we have many visits ahead of us, so we only have two park days scheduled for our trip. We are visiting the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom this trip. We havent ruled out another park day but I think two will be plentywe love wandering the resort, taking the monorail, the boats, etc. For the girls first birthday we did a cupcake safari for the best cupcakes on propertyit was a blast. We got 10 day non-expiring park hoppers with Waterpark Credits that should last us 2-3 years. We also schedule fun things on non-park days like the Hoop De Do Revue. DH and went to the Spirit of Aloha our first trip in Feb 2012, so although Id love to do that with the girls I think Ill wait a bit longer before we repeat. I wish there were more dinner theaters at the resorts. We do like to eat in the villa, for health, ease, and economy. It's sometimes a big relief with toddlers to NOT be in a restaurant, even though ours are very good natured. At some point I will have to draft our menu for the week and place our grocery order with Amy at WeGoShop. Still bummed that I will not need her to stop at the liquor store this trip
So because Saturday is a new bonus day, we dont have anything planned just yet.
Sunday is the same because originally it was our arrival day at our new home away from home, the Villas at the Grand Floridian. I cannot wait to see that penguin fountain and those fancy new units! I did snag a breakfast reservation at 1900 Park Fare for the character breakfast at 10:30 just in caseand I am dying to do the tea at the Garden View Tea Room.
Monday we have reservations at 1900 Park Fare for the character breakfast as wellnot sure which day would be better for which, and not sure if DH can stomach going to tea.
Tuesday is Magic Kingdom day! I am hoping we can get an early start, but obviously well be limited in what we can do since two of our party are under two and one is pregnant The girls are looking shaggy and have been saving their first haircut for this trip, so I am going to try to book first cut appointments for the Harmony Barber Shop. Ive used touringplans to etch out our day, and we have the following FP+ reservations: Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid 10:00 - 11:00 am Big Thunder Mountain Railroad® 11:00 - 12:00 pm Pirates of the Caribbean® 3:00 - 4:00 pm Well be taking a nap break at 11-1ish.. although I am thinking about moving the BTMR fast pass early or later (and Im not sure if I should go on that ride) so we can leave at 10:30 since the monorail will not be running full hours while we are there. I believe the closures are 11:30-7pm. That will put a slight damper on our plans but we are very adaptable. I am only excited about Magic Bands and FP+ and I know I am one of the fewhowever, it seems that everyone who has used them (with a very few exceptions) has really found them fun and convenient. I am used to having security badges for my workplace and have no real concerns about security. Maybe I should, but Disney doesnt know anything about me that Amazon, Zulilly, and about a thousand other online retailers do. Ill watch my card statements, and if Mickey starts stalking us, Ill put out a humane mousetrap and release him back at WDW on our next trip to FL. A new one for me, based on the recommendation of February DISers, is the Wishes Dessert Party at Tomorrowland Terrace. A pregnant womans dreamand DH is not a fan of crowds, so that will be great as well. We can relax with the girls, nosh on dessert, then head home and pack the babies in bed.
Wednesday we are toying with putting DH in an Exotic Car at the WDW Speedway. He still has not picked the car he wants to drive, so I have not made reservations. We DO have 10:55 am reservations for breakfast at Ohanas. Well eat our real breakfasts early, so this will basically be lunch/brunch. Not sure if I am overkilling with the character breakfasts, but I am trying to take advantage of the fact that there is a) built in entertainment, b) theming on a non-park day, c) we only have to pay for two adults at this point and breakfast is the least expenses of the meals& and Im sure there is a d, and an e&.
Thursday is Animal Kingdom, which I cannot wait for. I visited the zoo with the girls before they hit one and they were fairly uninterested in anything but the fish. They remain fascinated by fish, but also their dog. I am hoping they will be interested in the animals at AK as well. I am obviously not riding Expedition Everest, but I snagged the FP+s so my husband can get on. I may get rid of mine and pick something more kid friendly. I wonder if I used a FP+ for a stage show if I could take the girls and we could save my husband a seator if they have separate FP+ seating. Any insight? Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain® 9:00 - 10:00 am Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost 10:00 - 11:00 am Kilimanjaro Safaris® 3:00 - 4:00 pm Another dilemmathe Safaris. I have heard very mixed reviews as to whether it is safe for a pregnant lady to ride this. I believe Disney has a warning on it, but this is basically THE RIDE I want to experience. I know it is a bumpy ride, but so are potholes in Cleveland in the winter. I know you can get stuck behind a stubborn herd that parks in the road, but we are not going in peak heat and I can bring water. This is my second pregnancy so I am a lot less paranoid this round. Also--we have no dining reservations.
Friday is VALENTINES DAY! Two years ago, DH and I did Valentines Day dinner at Victoria and Alberts, and the twins were due 9 months later J (They came early, but due dates dont lie--hence my username). This time, weve booked a sitter who we used twice last time on the girls birthday trip, and we are going to Artist Point, my FAVORITE restaurant on property, perhaps in the world. Certainly in the WDWorld. We found the sitter on Sittercity, and when I looked her up online to ensure she was not a well known criminal, I discovered we had a friend in common! I was able to not only read her sittercity reviews but ask a trusted friend for her opinion. Its a Small World, after all. She was great and we are psyched to see her again. That is all I have planned for the day!
Saturday is shipping out day&well be leaving around 11 am on Magical Express. Quite a bit more than I thought Id write; will have to figure out how to do the links and cuts. Advice is welcome; we need some more non-park fillers. I am thinking we'll visit Fort Wilderness as I understand there is tons to do over there, and we can likely take a boat to MK and then a boat there. We LOVE the boats. I was also thinking if the weather is nice we can pool hopwe love doing that, and I have my eye on the Polynesian pool!
Mom, Dad, and the twinfants visit the Grand Floridian Villas for the first time, but Baby C is brewing, so next family trip will involve a bit more beds! (Ironically, next trip is just with mom & dad in May, and it will be a studio with a savannah view& but thats neither here nor there.)
At this point, I wont be putting in pictures because Dad is not excited about having his or his childrens faces online for privacy reasons. No, he is not a celebrity. I promise to put some pictures up that are internet safe. Maybe I'll replace our faces with Mickey & Minnie heads...
The Scene: Snowy northern Ohio, where Lake Erie beaches sparkle and then freeze. I work for the court system and our entire county is closed tomorrow for dangerous temperatures. We need some Florida, ASAP.
The Adventurers:
Mom: Early 30s, WDWaphile, has probably been to the World 8 times now (Dolphin 92?, Offsite 95?, Yacht Club 00, Poly 01, Offsite 03, Offsite 09, Dolphin 12, Saratoga/Boardwalk split stay 13. Moved from private sector to public sector work as a mediator and loves it, but its still nice to get away.
Dad: Just hit the 40, learning to love WDW. Twice now--Dolphin 12, Saratoga/Boardwalk split stay 13. Totally caved on DVC because of his expansive love for his wife and children. Also recognized that as a busy executive he needed a pre-committed reason to get out of dodge every once in a while, and that there are few better escapes than WDW.
The twinfants: identical girls, also known as Babies A & B, 1.5 yrs old and our motivation to join DVC to ensure we've banked their vacations, and have no excuse not to take them away to somewhere fabulous at least once a year (and ideally twice). We took them to WDW for their first birthday but only spent one day in EPCOT since Mom & Dad like EPCOT the best. They spent a lot of time napping, and liked the Nemo exhibit. They liked Chip & Dale the most.
Baby C is the fetus inside mom. Gender will not be known until either right before or right after our trip, due in July. May complicate some of our previous plans, including moms previously intended consumption of the coconut rum in our Owners Locker. How long does that stuff last, anyway?
THE DATES -- Sunday, Feb 9 through Sat Feb 15 were the original dates we'd planned to make the trip 49 points cheaper, but a beautiful solo one night opened on February 8th at the Villas at the Grand Floridian right when I was mourning the shortness of a six day trip and thinking about how loooooong that Saturday prior to the trip sitting at home in Ohio was going to feel. So we popped one more day on, and since we hadnt booked airfare, it was no problem. So our dates: Feb 8-Feb 15
THE PLANS: We are trying not to exhaust our park visits because we have many visits ahead of us, so we only have two park days scheduled for our trip. We are visiting the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom this trip. We havent ruled out another park day but I think two will be plentywe love wandering the resort, taking the monorail, the boats, etc. For the girls first birthday we did a cupcake safari for the best cupcakes on propertyit was a blast. We got 10 day non-expiring park hoppers with Waterpark Credits that should last us 2-3 years. We also schedule fun things on non-park days like the Hoop De Do Revue. DH and went to the Spirit of Aloha our first trip in Feb 2012, so although Id love to do that with the girls I think Ill wait a bit longer before we repeat. I wish there were more dinner theaters at the resorts. We do like to eat in the villa, for health, ease, and economy. It's sometimes a big relief with toddlers to NOT be in a restaurant, even though ours are very good natured. At some point I will have to draft our menu for the week and place our grocery order with Amy at WeGoShop. Still bummed that I will not need her to stop at the liquor store this trip
So because Saturday is a new bonus day, we dont have anything planned just yet.
Sunday is the same because originally it was our arrival day at our new home away from home, the Villas at the Grand Floridian. I cannot wait to see that penguin fountain and those fancy new units! I did snag a breakfast reservation at 1900 Park Fare for the character breakfast at 10:30 just in caseand I am dying to do the tea at the Garden View Tea Room.
Monday we have reservations at 1900 Park Fare for the character breakfast as wellnot sure which day would be better for which, and not sure if DH can stomach going to tea.
Tuesday is Magic Kingdom day! I am hoping we can get an early start, but obviously well be limited in what we can do since two of our party are under two and one is pregnant The girls are looking shaggy and have been saving their first haircut for this trip, so I am going to try to book first cut appointments for the Harmony Barber Shop. Ive used touringplans to etch out our day, and we have the following FP+ reservations: Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid 10:00 - 11:00 am Big Thunder Mountain Railroad® 11:00 - 12:00 pm Pirates of the Caribbean® 3:00 - 4:00 pm Well be taking a nap break at 11-1ish.. although I am thinking about moving the BTMR fast pass early or later (and Im not sure if I should go on that ride) so we can leave at 10:30 since the monorail will not be running full hours while we are there. I believe the closures are 11:30-7pm. That will put a slight damper on our plans but we are very adaptable. I am only excited about Magic Bands and FP+ and I know I am one of the fewhowever, it seems that everyone who has used them (with a very few exceptions) has really found them fun and convenient. I am used to having security badges for my workplace and have no real concerns about security. Maybe I should, but Disney doesnt know anything about me that Amazon, Zulilly, and about a thousand other online retailers do. Ill watch my card statements, and if Mickey starts stalking us, Ill put out a humane mousetrap and release him back at WDW on our next trip to FL. A new one for me, based on the recommendation of February DISers, is the Wishes Dessert Party at Tomorrowland Terrace. A pregnant womans dreamand DH is not a fan of crowds, so that will be great as well. We can relax with the girls, nosh on dessert, then head home and pack the babies in bed.
Wednesday we are toying with putting DH in an Exotic Car at the WDW Speedway. He still has not picked the car he wants to drive, so I have not made reservations. We DO have 10:55 am reservations for breakfast at Ohanas. Well eat our real breakfasts early, so this will basically be lunch/brunch. Not sure if I am overkilling with the character breakfasts, but I am trying to take advantage of the fact that there is a) built in entertainment, b) theming on a non-park day, c) we only have to pay for two adults at this point and breakfast is the least expenses of the meals& and Im sure there is a d, and an e&.
Thursday is Animal Kingdom, which I cannot wait for. I visited the zoo with the girls before they hit one and they were fairly uninterested in anything but the fish. They remain fascinated by fish, but also their dog. I am hoping they will be interested in the animals at AK as well. I am obviously not riding Expedition Everest, but I snagged the FP+s so my husband can get on. I may get rid of mine and pick something more kid friendly. I wonder if I used a FP+ for a stage show if I could take the girls and we could save my husband a seator if they have separate FP+ seating. Any insight? Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain® 9:00 - 10:00 am Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost 10:00 - 11:00 am Kilimanjaro Safaris® 3:00 - 4:00 pm Another dilemmathe Safaris. I have heard very mixed reviews as to whether it is safe for a pregnant lady to ride this. I believe Disney has a warning on it, but this is basically THE RIDE I want to experience. I know it is a bumpy ride, but so are potholes in Cleveland in the winter. I know you can get stuck behind a stubborn herd that parks in the road, but we are not going in peak heat and I can bring water. This is my second pregnancy so I am a lot less paranoid this round. Also--we have no dining reservations.
Friday is VALENTINES DAY! Two years ago, DH and I did Valentines Day dinner at Victoria and Alberts, and the twins were due 9 months later J (They came early, but due dates dont lie--hence my username). This time, weve booked a sitter who we used twice last time on the girls birthday trip, and we are going to Artist Point, my FAVORITE restaurant on property, perhaps in the world. Certainly in the WDWorld. We found the sitter on Sittercity, and when I looked her up online to ensure she was not a well known criminal, I discovered we had a friend in common! I was able to not only read her sittercity reviews but ask a trusted friend for her opinion. Its a Small World, after all. She was great and we are psyched to see her again. That is all I have planned for the day!
Saturday is shipping out day&well be leaving around 11 am on Magical Express. Quite a bit more than I thought Id write; will have to figure out how to do the links and cuts. Advice is welcome; we need some more non-park fillers. I am thinking we'll visit Fort Wilderness as I understand there is tons to do over there, and we can likely take a boat to MK and then a boat there. We LOVE the boats. I was also thinking if the weather is nice we can pool hopwe love doing that, and I have my eye on the Polynesian pool!
Speaking of, he's at Target with baby B and they are supposed to pick up a long sleeve maternity tee for me to disneyfie... we'll have to see what he comes up with 
Following along. We married the same man...mine picked a gray MB, is anti FB (big time!) and would basically kill me if I posted a pic of him. He is also extremely supportive of my Disney addiction and our purchase of DVC was, of course, his idea. He obsesses about his own OL and making sure we take an accurate accounting of it each trip. 
